Jealousy
by SRona58
Summary: Pepperony fluff. Oneshot. Set during a deleted scene at Tony's party in Iron Man 2. Jealousy makes Pepper act a little funny...and Tony, in return. Tony finally tells her he's dying.


Slightly AU, continuation of an IM2 deleted scene during Tony's birthday party. No battle or house destruction in this one, but Tony's still dying. Requested by DARAGONislifeu on Wattpad.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters or story lines.

* * *

Pepper Potts sighed nervously as she let herself into Tony's house. Really, anyone could let themselves in at this point. Jarvis was obviously down, aside from probably monitoring Tony's arc as a backup emergency system, but the security aspect? Completely irrelevant.

A drunk couple shoved into her as she entered the main living area...the same space she sat to do work when Tony decided not to go to the office - which was more often than not. The same space he almost _died_ from Obie's horrible plan just a few months ago. Now, it was full of strobe lights and spilled alcohol glasses and girls barely holding their tops on. This wasn't the first time, but it was definitely the part Pepper hated the most about working for Tony.

Then, she found him, in the middle of the room, a little too close to the woman he already told him not to pursue; Natalie Rushman. Yet, there he was, arc pressed against her back as though it was natural, whispering into her ear. She couldn't hear him over the music thumping, but she was getting pretty good at reading his drunken lips and the sensual caress of his hands on her arms.

"Let's do it," he spoke into Natalie's ear, scanning the room quickly...probably for her or Rhodey.

Rushman argued it briefly. "It's a bad idea..."

"Right now," Stark pressed. "Come on."

"There's a lot of people around..." she warned.

"That's why we're doing this. It's for them." Then he burst out into a snort of a suppressed laughter, making it apparent he really was already drunk. "It's my party, it's my friends...come on."

Natalie smirked and gave in, lifting her arm to reveal the Iron Man gantlet around her limb, attached to Tony's arc via cable for a power source. Stark didn't hesitate in running his hand down her curves to her waist, the other helping aim the repulsor on her palm.

"Hike it up," he instructed. "You have him in your sights? In three...fire in the hole!" he yelled a little too loudly, "one!"

The repulsor activated and shot, sending the ice sculpture they were using as a target shattering into a million pieces on the marble floors. The guests jumped, stunned, some backing away, but Tony didn't notice and only continued to laugh.

"You got him!" he celebrated as Natalie turned to face him.

"Gosh!" she gasped, dramatically playing up her innocence, but Tony's eyes fell elsewhere.

Onto Pepper, to be exact, who was taking a step back in retreat after watching him blow up the sculpture.

"Oh," he mumbled nervously.

"Packs a punch, doesn't it?" Nat continued before turning to acknowledge the red head.

Suddenly, Pepper felt too embarrassed to bother with staying. She fidgeted with the silly, short black dress she chose to go with, as if it mattered to Tony what she wore, and her skin flushed as she cursed herself for wearing the same heels she took to the office every day. She wasn't in the mood, especially after Monaco, to put up with seeing the two of them flirting with each other anymore...especially after she was very clear on the fact that something like this _would end up in a lawsuit_ if he refused to use his brain.

But, as she turned to go back outside and call Happy to pick her up, Tony, somehow, convinced her to stop.

"Hey, wait wait wait wait wait, Pep, come on..." he begged, his voice high and slurring. "Hi!" he greeted softly, for a moment flashing the genuine side of Tony she rarely saw before the alcohol continued to take over.

Reluctantly, she let out another sigh and moved toward the two. Damn, the things his voice did to her when he spoke like that.

"Hey, both my girls are here, this is great! God, I'm so stiked you came. I didn't know if you we're gonna make it-"

Yeah, he was wasted.

"You're 'stiked' that I came?" she repeated with annoyance in her tone that came naturally when dealing with Tony. "Is that..."

He grinned, making her blush slightly. "I'm either stoked or I'm psyched or I'm both," he rambled, trying to explain his made up word. "I'm glad you're here and I'm-"

Not wanting to hear it, Pepper shoved a box with a big bow into his hands; her birthday gift. It was stupid, really...just another mug that said something about world's best boss with Iron Man stamped on it...but what did you get a billionaire superhero these days, anyway?

"Happy birthday," Potts told him politely when all he did was grimace in return, putting her mood back into its hole.

"Thank you," he manged through pressed lips. "I don't...that's my peeve, you know, I-"

"Oh..." she mumbled, awkwardly shifting. "I'll take it..."

But he was quick to make up for it...sort of. "It's alright..."

Then, he was back to speaking to Natalie, which just got under Pepper's skin more as her stomach fluttered and her heart sank.

"Handing me things," he informed the other woman, "don't ever hand me things."

Pepper frowned, looking at the floor and debating leaving again and having Rhodes come in to babysit this time, but Tony put his focus back on her in just a moment's time.

"It's okay!" he reassured when he noticed her down expression. "It doesn't matter...um..what is this?" he asked, shaking the box.

Pepper closed her eyes momentarily, noting that drunk Tony was probably about to break said object as it rattled around in the box. He didn't mean it, but his mind was not being sensible. Maybe giving him his gift now was a bad idea.

As though he read her mind, he settled down and let his thoughts wander elsewhere. "Let's do some shots, do you..." He turned back to Nat, realizing Pepper never really drank around him, that he could remember. "Actually, she doesn't...will you put this with the other one so I...oh we're attached..."

"We're attached," she confirmed, holding the gantlet up and showing the wired connection.

"Sorry..." Stark chuckled.

"Very attached..."

Giving up, Pepper rolled her eyes and scolded herself for even coming. "I'll..I'll take it over," she offered; God forbid she had a night off of being assistant.

"Maybe uh...a martini, right?" Tony continued,struggling to remember their night at the dance when she stepped away. "Like, three olives? Pep?" He groaned and looked back toward Natalie and their connection, handling the cable in his fingers. "That's not...that's her stuff, that's not me..." he mumbled, noting he didn't usually drink martinis.

Tony stared off after Pepper for a moment, watching her toss down the gift box onto the table with the others, not so gracious about it at all. Then, she pulled her dress down again, noting how it ran up her thighs a little too high every time she walked. He tilted his head, taking in the sight, then mentally slapped himself for being an idiot. She was taking deep breaths, then excusing herself out toward the balcony.

"Pep!" he called again, though she wouldn't hear him over the loud music. "Pepper!"

"Mr Stark, we're still..." Natalie spoke when he tugged a little too hard in Potts' direction.

Stark blinked, trying to get his brain to comprehend, then made a decision on what was more important. He tugged the cord from the arc, twisting it out and ripping the end, not caring if he'd have to fix it later as long as he was still breathing...for now, anyway.

"I still have-" Rushman began, but he cut her off, handing her the wire absent mindedly.

"Just uh...hold onto it, will ya?" he asked under his breath, leaving her with the wire an gantlet as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the room; without a power source, it would be fine...he thought.

He followed Pepper out the open doors to the balcony and scanned through the crowd, stumbling against the door frame before landing against a busty blond who bit her lip when his face landed dangerously close to her cleavage. Stark only grinned and gave her his best seductive smile before remembering his mission. He shoved out of her hands and wandered to the banister for something to hold himself up Then he found her, leaning with her back against the glass wall with her hands gripping the banister. Her head hung low and she focused on deep breaths.

"Pep?" Tony mumbled when he managed to get himself over to her. "There she is!"

The red head glanced up at him, once again moving her hands to the hem of her dress. "What do you need, Mr Stark?" she snapped, fixing her bangs.

"Uh, a scotch. A cigar. Maybe a couple of busty brunette girls in-" he began, holding his hands up to his chest to mimic a boob shape.

"Really?!" Potts argued, "you followed me out here for this?"

Pepper pushed herself upright to walk far away, in any direction, from this conversation, but he stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. His eyes smoldered into hers, their glossy alcoholic look mixed with that dangerous darkness she saw when he was trying to seduce one of his conquests. She swallowed nervously, looking at her feet and then back up once she cleared her mind.

"Kidding," he promised, voice slurring a little still. "I'm kidding. Relax."

"Relax?" she repeated in disbelief. "You expect me to relax when you're in there blowing up...party decorations..." she waved toward the house, "like it's a firing range?! What are you thinking?"

"That's the thing," he answered shyly, scratching the back of his head and squinting at her. "I'm not."

"Right."

"But hey, I knew you're upset, so...give me some credit for that, huh?"

She blinked, her eyes glaring at him. "Give you _credit_?"

He ignored her, reaching out to grab her hand and pull her back inside. "Come on, we have shots, and-"

"I'm not doing shots with you, Tony," she scolded, escaping his grasp. "Go and...go ask your girlfriend, I'm sure she's willing to...do whatever you ask of her..."

He suddenly let out another high pitched giggle at her words, nearly doubling back in laughter. "My _girlfriend_? Green doesn't look good on you, Miss Potts."

"I'm not..." she started, avoiding his gaze again as her cheeks heated up. "I'm not jealous, I-"

"Is that what this is?"

"What _what_ is?"

"Come on, admit it," he teased, grinning ear to ear. "You saw me with Natalie and-"

"I'm not admitting to anything, I'm-" she interrupted, trying to speak over him, as usual.

"-thought I was going to take her upstairs, so-"

"-just tired of watching you waste your life, Tony."

"-you came out here, and...wait, what did you just say?" he asked, suddenly sobering up mid sentence.

He hadn't told her anything about him dying, nor had he told Natalie. He hadn't even told Rhodey. No one knew but himself.

"What?" Pepper blinked, obviously confused at why he looked so sincere.

"Nothing...I..." He shook his head internally, resetting himself into his drunken stupor as he thought back on her first comment. "So, you're _not_ jealous of her wearing my gantlet," he teased, reaching out to place his palms on her waist, "and my hands on her hips and..."

If it was even possible, Pepper's blush deepened and she cleared her throat, trying to avoid his fiery eye contact. "Mr Stark, people are watching..." she warned nervously, looking around the property.

"So you do like me..." he purred, sending chills down her spine.

"You're drunk."

He was stepping dangerous close to her, his eyes narrowed from behind his tinted glasses as he smirked across at her, trying to predict her reaction. When she didn't answer, he pressed further.

"Just...slightly tipsy. ...Or maybe you're into Natalie, too?" he asked, sounding a little surprised. "Never took ya as one to swing that way, Pep, but hey, I can dig it."

"I'm not..." she groaned loudly, lowering her voice as she steadied her temper. "I'm not 'into Natalie'," she hushed him, pulling out of his reach and looking at the ground. "I'm into you..." she muttered, almost inaudible above the music.

Stark's jaw went slack as he cracked it and stared, holding his hands up in the air like he was afraid to touch her. He didn't follow her when she retreated, afraid the alcohol was really what was making him hear things he wasn't expecting.

"You..." he managed, whipping of his glasses to look her in the eye when she finally, guilty, looked back at him. "I'm sorry, you what?"

"I should go..." she whispered, frustrated with herself for admitting to it.

"No," he interrupted, pocketing the glasses. "Now, wait a second. I'm not following."

"There's nothing to follow, I-"

"First you try to kiss me, then you push me away for leaving you at the banquet, so I back off. And now...now, you tell me you _do_ want me?" he asked, going through the memories in his mind as he spoke. "I'm just not following here-"

"Just forget it, Tony, please!" Pepper nearly shouted, sucking in a deep breath.

"Was it Natalie? Is that what brought this on?" he asks, desperately searching for a reason though his intoxicated mind was making that difficult. "Cause I was just messing around, she and I aren't-"

"I'm going home, Mr Stark," Pepper decided suddenly, realizing nothing good was going to come of this at this point. "And I'm taking tomorrow off. Happy birthday."

"Pep, Pepper, hey, wait!" Tony called desperately, though it was no use. "Pep, come on, I believe you, I..."

"You're drunk," she countered, stepping past him and back into the house to gather her things and make for the front door, calling for Happy in the process.

* * *

It was solidly into two in the morning when there was a knock at Pepper's apartment door downtown. She had been peacefully asleep and tried to ignore it, but the noise kept rapping at the wooden frame until it pulled her from her bed, tshirt, shorts, and tangled up hair coming with.

She opened the door slowly, checking the peephole first, then crossed her arms uncomfortably across her chest when she greeted her visitor.

"Tony," she breathed, her voice light and confused. "What are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

He ruffled his hair, a wild look in his eye. He wore the same suit from the party, but the drunken dilation of his pupils was well past. He didn't meet her eye; instead, he paced back and forth in the small hallway space in front of her door, starting a ramble that she had to fight to keep her barely awake mind focused on.

"Two, I know. I know it's late, but you said you weren't coming in tomorrow, and I tried to sleep, but I couldn't, so I took a cab cause I didn't want to bother Happy and now I'm here and-"

"Wait, you took a cab?" Pepper asked, brushing her bangs aside. "Why didn't you just take the suit?"

Tony stopped, staring at his feet and paused. At least she wasn't asking what he was doing there, but he'd have to explain eventually.

"I couldn't take the suit, Pep," he nearly whispered, then brought his eyes to meet hers.

Pepper furrowed her eyebrows as she took him in; he looked tired, worn out, and no where near as lively as he was before their awkward conversation at the house. He looked paler than normal, and his hands shook as he straightened out his jacket.

"Tony, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"No," he replied easily, feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders. "No, Pepper, I'm not okay. I'm actually dying. So, there's that. Just slowly fading away. Waiting for my heart to stop."

She stood there, blinking at him, her eyes locked on his when they faced her. Had she heard him right?

"Tony, we're all dying," she told him slowly, not understanding.

He shook his head, stepping toward her. "No, Pep...listen to me, okay?"

Potts nodded, unsure of how to handle the situation. It was too late for her to argue, and he was too sober for him to be making things up. Her heart pounded in her chest as he stepped up to the door frame, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Pepper, the arc is killing me, and I don't know how to stop it. Okay, I'm at 86%. Eighty-six, Pep. When my blood toxicity level hits a hundred, I'm done." His words were painful, he knew, as her eyes clouded when it all clicked in her head. "So before that happens, I just...look, I needed you to know, that what you said, back there at the house...Pep I might not be around when you come back if you take tomorrow off, and-"

"No, you're lying..." Pepper interrupted, shrugging out of his hands. "This is a joke, you're still drunk, you're-"

"I really wish it was, Pep," he answered, voice cracking, and that's what she knew it was real. "I haven't taken a sip since you left. Party's over."

Pepper felt her lip quiver as she shook her head in denial. "No, no, this-"

"Pepper!" he snapped, raising his voice. "Stop. I...I think I found a replacement, but...it might not work, and before I risk what's left of my life and try...Pep, I didn't know you...well, I thought..."

He sighed, taking a step toward her in the doorway. She shifted back again, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her close against his chest as he looked down at her with worried eyes.

"Stop," he whispered.

Her face lit up red, but she let out the breath she had been holding as his hand grazed her cheek. His dark eyes flashed toward her lips quickly before he leaned in, hesitantly at first, and then more sure of himself when her eyes fluttered closed in anticipation.

On impact, her mind froze and she swore she was still dreaming, until she felt his tongue pass against her lower lip and she felt her heart stop. His lips were softer than she imagined, and when she opened her mouth for him, his goatee and mustache brushed at her skin, prickling her slightly, but not too mouth. She felt his hand run through her hair and instinctively, her arms ran up his chest. She could feel the desperation in his movement as he met her tongue, battling it with her own until she couldn't breathe anymore and had to part.

"Tony..." she whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers, steadying his breath.

"I found a new element," he told her in a hush. "It might work, it might not. But I'm gonna try." He swallowed, rubbing his thumb in circles against her neck. "Pep, if it works...no more games. No more girls, no more parties...no more back and forth with us. Just you and me, okay?"

"No more Natalie?" she joked, finally speaking up.

She could almost hear his grin through his agreement, the three words curing the jealousy that was eating at her for the past few months...yes, Pepper Potts was jealous.

"No more Natalie."


End file.
